Context: Recently, ‘the Global Climate 2011-2020: A Decade of Acceleration’report  was released by the World Meteorological Organisation.

What are the key findings of the report?

• Decade of Contrasts: 2011-2020: The decade from 2011-2020 was the warmest ever in history.
  • While there has been a rise in economic losses from extreme weather and climate losses, this was the decade with the lowest number of deaths from extreme events.
• Decline in Casualties: The number of casualties from extreme weather and climate events has gone down substantially over time. 
  • Reason: A major contributor to this decrease has been improved early warning systems, driven by improved forecasting and disaster management.
• Recovery of Ozone Hole: This was the first decade that the depleted ozone hole visibly showed recovery.
• Global Glacier Thinning: Glaciers that were measured worldwide thinned by approximately 1 meter per year on average between 2011 and 2020. 
  • Greenland and Antarctica lost 38% more ice between 2011 and 2020 than during the 2001-2010 period.
• Human Casualties and Extreme Heat: The report underlined that human-caused climate change significantly increases the risks from extreme heat events.
  •  Heatwaves were responsible for the highest number of human casualties, while tropical cyclones caused the most economic damage.
• Financial Trends in Climate Action: Public and private climate finance almost doubled between 2011 and 2020. 
  • However, it needs to increase at least seven times by the end of this decade to keep global temperature from rising by more than 1.5 degrees centigrade by the end of the century.

News Source: The Hindu